Flying Firefly
by Nejitenness
Summary: Behind what seems like a perfect and happy life for everyone in Konoha after the war, she is still bound by fate just like her late father, Hyuuga Neji was. But at least, she has a reason to live: her mother. "World is full of injustices. All you have to do is become stronger." Firefly can fly too, even if not as high as phoenix and dragon.
1. Curse Seal

_Hotaru: firefly._

* * *

She opened her eyes to see golden sunlight poured softly into her room.

"Mom?" she called sleepily.

A gentle hand reached hers; her mom's voice soothed her the next second. "Shhh. I'm here, baby."

She winced when she felt a sting on her forehead, putting her palm on it. "It hurts."

"I know." She felt her mom remove her small hand from her forehead before placing a kiss on it. "You'll feel better soon, I promise."

She looked at her mom, blinking a few times to erase remaining drowsiness. There were dark circles under those brown eyes as if she hadn't slept at all last night. "Mom? Are you alright?"

She was only five, probably still too young, but she could see her mom is sad and she didn't want to see that expression. She was used to see her mom smiling. "Yes, Hotaru. I'm fine and so are you."

Hotaru stared at her for a moment before rubbing her forehead again. "What did they do to me?" She remembered being in a dark room—a few people with eyes as white as hers surrounded her as they'd moved their hands just like what her mother would do before leaping to the air and unfurling her scrolls, launching loads of weapons towards her targets. Then it had turned to darkness and pain in her head, she couldn't even remember what had happened next and—

"You want to see?"

Hotaru stared at her mom in confusion. "See what?"

Her mom said nothing as she reached into a drawer next to their bed, pulling out a small mirror before handing it to her. She held the mirror and stared at her own reflection. She still looked the same, with the same white eyes and… What was that green mark on her forehead?

It looked a little weird, but not too bad either that she wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.

Still staring at the mirror and hoping she could understand, Hotaru asked. "What is this for?"

"I'll tell you when the time comes," her mother answered, taking the small mirror from her. "Don't worry, though. You'll always be fine."

Hotaru wanted to urge her mother to tell it now, she didn't want to wait, but her mother looked so tired that she didn't have a heart to argue with her right now.

But she had a request. "Mom…"

"Yes?"

"Can I get bangs like yours to cover this mark?"

* * *

"Mom."

Hotaru and her mother were facing the mirror, her mother sitting behind her to braid her long, brown hair. It was her second cousin, Bolt's birthday, and a large party was held in the compound. Hotaru was excited about wearing this pretty kimono her mom had bought for her last month from one of Konoha stores.

However, she was actually afraid to meet a few people from her family, the ones without any bandages or cloth around their foreheads. Especially since the night they'd placed the green mark on her forehead; the green mark she knew nothing about.

She had a feeling that whenever they looked at her, they intended to hurt her—even though most of them treated her well and always praised her late father in front of her.

"What is it, Sweetie?"

The seven-year-old girl took a deep breath. "How did Father look like?"

Her mother's expression didn't change. "You have seen his pictures."

"Yes, but…" She played with the sleeve of her kimono. "Was he handsome like in the pictures? Tall?"

Her mother smiled. "Yes."

Hotaru couldn't help giggling. "That's why you liked him."

The older woman chuckled lightly. "That's probably the twelfth reason. I loved him not only because of that." She finished braiding Hotaru's hair and looked at her on the mirror. "What do you know about your father so far?"

"My father, Hyuuga Neji was one of the most skilled ninja in our clan. You and Uncle Lee were his teammates. He was one of Konoha heroes that… died in the war before my birth." Hotaru said confidently, a sense of pride flashing in her white eyes. "I'm sure he was very strong and brave."

"He was," her mother said, "but there's something else you should know about him."

Hotaru blinked.

Her mother gripped her shoulders gently, silently telling her to stand up and turn around. Once she stood before her mother who remained in sitting position, her mother took both of her smaller hands in hers. The look in those brown eyes made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Hotaru," she started softly. "It's time to tell you everything I know."

Hotaru stared at her warily.

Her mother inhaled deeply and looked at anywhere but her. It made Hotaru nervous all of a sudden; it was rare to see her mother wearing that expression. "You know that your grandfather, Hyuuga Hizashi, was Hiashi-sama's twin brother. Right?"

"Yes," the little girl nodded. "What happened with Grandpa?"

"He was given the task to protect the clan's secret and all of the family members, especially Hiashi-sama."

"Why?" The Hyuuga girl asked confusedly. "Because Grandpa was strong?"

Something in those brown eyes darkened. "Your grandpa was indeed strong, but that wasn't the exact reason."

This was getting even more confusing.

"Hyuuga clan is divided into two, Main and Branch. Those you see wearing cloth around their foreheads are Branch members. Including your grandfather, your father… and you. And your children someday."

"So," Hotaru forced her brain to process what her mother was saying. "This green mark is only for… what, Branch members?"

"Yes." Her mother lowered her gaze, staring emptily at Hotaru's feet. "That means you have a duty… to protect Hyuuga clan. Just like what your grandpa and father did."

"But, Mom," Hotaru frowned, "we can protect our clan together, all of us. Why only the Branch?"

"It was…" her mother's sentence trailed off.

"It is?"

She had to wait patiently before her mother finally continued. "Hyuuga is one of the most powerful clans in Konoha. This clan has an important secret, Byakugan, which many enemies have wanted since long ago. Branch members are trusted to protect it."

Hotaru shook her head. "That's not the question, Mom. I don't understand why it has to be Branch members only. Everyone can always team up to protect the secret. Isn't this a bit unfair?"

Her mother lifted her head, and to her utter surprise, those brown eyes she had always admired were full of tears. "I'm sorry. I don't even know the answer."

Hotaru stood still, too shocked to move or say anything. Why was her mother crying?

"For now," her mother brushed away Hotaru's brown bangs and trailed her thumbs along the mark, "please become strong just like your father. Do what you have to do as a Hyuuga."

Hotaru's head was still full of questions, but she nodded and knelt down to hug her mother. She hated seeing her mother cry. "I will, Mommy. Please don't cry. I understand now."

Her mother was quiet for a minute before speaking again. "Your duty… is to protect Himawari."

* * *

"Hotaru."

The Hyuuga girl turned around to find her father's cousin, Hinata, with her daughter Himawari holding her hand. "Can you help me, Sweetie?"

Since her mother had told her about the truth of Hyuuga clan yesterday, Hotaru couldn't help feeling something she couldn't describe towards her aunt, no matter how sweet the woman was. Being the Hokage's wife, everyone had a great respect for her, not to mention she had a gentle heart that no one could deny. She was living outside the Hyuuga compound, but she often visited with new clothes or shoes for Hotaru, sometimes homemade dish for her mother also. Her mother was also good friends with the blue haired woman—Hotaru often found them planting flowers together in Hyuuga garden.

She felt something strange after her mother had told her that her father had once been her aunt's guardian.

"Yes, Aunt Hinata?"

"Are you going somewhere?" her aunt asked.

"No," she answered. Truth is, she was wandering around the compound without purpose—she was bored since her mother was on a mission.

Aunt Hinata smiled at her. "Then can you stay with Himawari for a while? I'm going to meet your uncle at Hokage office and Bolt is out playing with his friends."

Hotaru glanced at Himawari who smiled up at her. This was officially the first time she met Himawari after her mother had told her that her duty was to protect her younger second cousin. "Yes."

"Take care of her for me, okay Sweetie? I'll be back in an hour."

"Yes." Hotaru chose to ignore her own awareness that she only answered her aunt's questions with either yes or no.

"Good." Aunt Hinata leaned down to talk to her daughter. "Be good, Himawari. I won't take long."

Himawari nodded with a grin. "Okay, Mommy!"

The Hyuuga woman kissed her daughter's forehead and patted Hotaru's head affectionately before leaving. Hotaru watched her disappearing, before looking down at the little girl.

They didn't meet often since they lived in separated houses, but so far their relationship was fine. While she was seven, Himawari was almost four now. The blue haired girl was a sweet and curious girl, but Hotaru was obviously much quieter than her.

After knowing that she had a duty to protect the girl, Hotaru felt awkward somehow.

"Onee-chan?"

Hotaru blinked. "Yes?"

"Let's play together!"

"Playing what?"

"Hide and seek," the younger girl bounced up and down in excitement. "Nii-chan and I like it!"

Hotaru didn't actually like the idea of playing hide and seek in Hyuuga compound. The adults there were strict, never letting their children running around and making any noise, or in other word, making trouble. Himawari of course didn't know this fact, she lived with her parents and brother only. For a moment Hotaru envied her.

"Come on, Nee-chan," Himawari pulled at her sleeve.

Sighing, Hotaru decided to give up. At least this girl wasn't as loud as her brother. "Okay."

Himawari giggled and ran ahead, even before there was an agreement about who hid first. Hotaru shook her head and put her hands on her hips, counting to ten before starting to search for her cousin.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Himawari was good at hiding.

Hotaru had explored every place in the large Hyuuga compound that might be a good place to hide, but after minutes of searching she still couldn't find the younger girl. She sighed, making a mental note to finish her training on trying to use Byakugan as soon as possible to—

"I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

Hotaru stopped walking when she heard someone's pleading from the room to her left side. The hall was empty and quiet, allowing her to hear it clearly.

"Hayato-sama," the same person said again, "please forgive me!"

Curiosity forces Hotaru to peek through the half-opened sliding door. It was quite dark inside, but she could see someone on his knees, forehead pressed to the floor, in front of a middle-aged man whose hands were formed into a sign as if he was going to use a jutsu.

Hotaru's eyes widened.

"I swear, Hayato-sama," the man was trembling visibly. "I swear I wouldn't betray you like that. I'm your guardian. I wouldn't do anything to betray you or this clan. I didn't do it, please believe me."

Hotaru didn't recognize the standing man who of course is her own family, but she could see the way his face held no emotion. "You do understand your status in this clan, don't you?"

"Yes, I—no, please don't!"

Her heart stopped beating when seeing the next scene in front of her.

The poor man groaned in pain, clutching his head and sprawling on the floor as if he was going to die. Tears streamed down his cheeks from those wide eyes, the lavender pupils becoming smaller as he screamed in agony, and his forehead—

The green mark on his forehead, similar to Hotaru's, was glowing angrily.

Hotaru put her own hands over her mouth to prevent any noise to come out. She couldn't believe it; she must've been dreaming now.

"That's what you get," the man called Hayato said in a tone that sounded so ruthless to Hotaru's ears, making her body cold all over. "You are a Branch member. You're supposed to protect our clan's secrets and protect us until you die. You _cannot_ change it. I can even kill you if you betray us."

The writhing man clenched his jaw, but Hotaru heard his silent screams and it broke her heart in the most painful way, it was as if she could feel the pain—

Hotaru couldn't take it. With tears streaming down her face and hands clamped over her own mouth, she ran away in fear, shock, and anger; as if the cruel man was chasing her to do the same to her, to torture her and to—

"Nee-chan!"

Someone grabbed her hand, preventing her to run anymore. She turned around to see little Himawari staring at her in confusion. "Nee-chan? Why didn't you find me?"

With tearful eyes, Hotaru looked at her dumbfounded cousin, and that fear overwhelmed her: if the man named Hayato could torture his own guardian by activating the green mark, then Himawari could do it to her too.

Himawari could kill her too.

"Let go of me!" Hotaru pushed her cousin's hand away, making the little girl jump in shock.

"Nee-chan?" Himawari called fearfully, taking a step forward.

"Don't," Hotaru said, eyes wide and hands trembled, "don't get near me!"

She turned on her heels before running away as fast as she could, leaving the also-scared Himawari behind.

Hotaru buried her face into her pillow. She had no idea how long she'd been lying alone there; she had no energy left to cry anymore.

She had never felt this scared before.

She'd thought that green mark's purpose was just to distinguish Branch members from Main members. She had never thought the Main members could use it for the purpose of torturing. If an adult had seemed to feel so much pain from it, then how about her?

She was just a little girl.

The thought led her mind to even worse realization: her father must've experienced that painful torture in his life.

She had never known her father, but she loved him with all of her heart. People spoke about him in high respect, mentioning him as the village's hero, not forgetting him even after he'd died almost eight years ago. Her mother always said she still loved him, which was why she didn't want to marry someone. Hotaru also loved him, she visited his grave several times in a week. She liked observing his old pictures; she wanted to be as strong as him. It pierced her heart to think that her father had probably experienced that several times in his life.

Mom… she needed her mom now. Where was she?

"Hotaru?"

In an instant, Hotaru got up into sitting position and hugged her mother, who held her in confusion and stroked her head gently. "Hotaru, what happened?"

Hotaru couldn't speak clearly, but she managed to get her mother understand her words.

She hated making her mother feel sad and worried about her, but she didn't have anyone else, not even her father here.

Her mother needed a long silence.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, and Hotaru could only hate herself for making her mother feel like this. "I'm sorry for not telling you about this."

Hotaru sniffled. No, she didn't blame her mother; she blamed her own clan. "Why, Mom? How can they do this to their own family? What else did they do to Father?" Her eyes were apparently still able to leak more tears. "Why? It is unfair."

Her mother pulled away and wiped the girl's cheeks with both thumbs. "Listen to me." Hotaru bit her lips and stared back at her mother. "Your father was strong enough to bear this burden. You are his daughter. You have his blood in you. That means you are strong enough to face everything just like him."

"But Mom," Hotaru said, and she herself was aware of how sad it sounded, "why can't we change our fate?"

Her mother's eyes were wide in surprise. She was remembering something, Hotaru noticed.

Pressing their foreheads together, her mother whispered to her. "Forget about fate. World is full of injustices… all you have to do is become strong."

Even if she was too young to understand, Hotaru nodded.

For now, her mother was all she had in this world.

* * *

"Hotaru nee-chan!"

Hotaru was passing the gate to Hokage's office when she heard that familiar voice. Bolt.

The blond boy waved his hand and grinned broadly. Hotaru looked warily behind his shoulders to see if there was Himawari behind him, but she found no one. "Onee-chan! Are you going home from academy?"

She didn't know much about Bolt other than he was an energetic five-year-old boy with personalities like the young Seventh Hokage, his father. "Why?"

The boy pouted. "Why so rude, Nee-chan? Hey, I'm going to go to ramen shop with my daddy. Let's join us!"

Hotaru wasn't a big fan of ramen and she knew she won't be able to stand Bolt and his father for a long time. "No, thanks."

Bolt only shrugged. "It's okay," he said. Then as if remembering something, he jumped excitedly. "Onee-chan, now I know the story of your father!"

Hotaru frowned. "What?"

"Your father," Bolt stated, "he is my idol now! He died to protect my parents in the war! Wasn't he awesome?"

* * *

**A/N:** I made up the children's ages for the plot's sake.

It probably makes no sense that Hotaru is Himawari's guardian when the younger girl doesn't even own white eyes, but I'll explain it along with the meaning behind Hotaru's name.


	2. Anger

Thunk.

The kunai embedded itself right in the center of the training dummy.

Hotaru leaned back to the tree. She had been practicing for almost an hour. Only throwing weapons here and there, nothing else. It was boring, but she needed something to do to keep herself from thinking.

She clenched her jaw to hold back a groan as her stomach rumbled.

She knew she should've gone home. Her mother had cooked rice this morning before leaving for a mission, she'd also told Hotaru to heat some curry in the pot for lunch. But the girl didn't want to go home right now.

Bolt's words echoed in her head; her father had died in the war to protect the boy's parents.

She knew Bolt was only five. He probably didn't understand that his words brought so many feelings to her heart. First, she was shocked because no one had told her about that even though people often spoke about her father in her presence.

Second, Hotaru suddenly felt betrayed by her mother. Why had her mother never said a word about this? Even Bolt had found it before her. Wait, Hyuuga Neji was her father and not Bolt's, she was supposed to know it first!

Why had her father had to die for Bolt's parents? Probably there was a reason, but what was that?

"My beautiful flower!"

Hotaru almost had a heart attack. A blur of green appeared right before her eyes, and the next thing she knew was that she was crushed into a muscular, large body. "Ah, I've missed you so much, cute firefly! I miss your unstoppable light that always emanates from the inside of you!"

"Uncle Lee," Hotaru didn't even try to struggle. "Let me go."

Uncle Lee released her, his teeth sparkling as he flashed her Nice Guy pose. "How do you do, young Hotaru? And what are you doing here alone?"

"Training," she mumbled half-heartedly. Of all times, why now? She'd been busy with her inner thoughts and hadn't wanted to be interrupted.

As if the whole world had planned to mock her, her stomach gave a loud growl. She could only drop her head in defeat while the green man stared at her with wide round eyes.

It was a bad day.

"This was one of youthful Team Gai's favorite places," Uncle Lee said proudly, eyes scanning the small restaurant interior. It had turned out that he'd dragged Hotaru to this place and ordered foods for them. "The first time we went here was when I first mastered a forbidden jutsu years ago. Gai-sensei took me and your parents here for dinner. And you know what? I accidentally sipped Gai-sensei's sake, which made me drunk and destroy this place! He and Neji tried to stop me and even Tenten attempted to tie me up with her chains, but it took me a while to recover!"

Hotaru winced. Why was he even proud of that?

"I felt bad at first when I found out about this, but Gai-sensei told me it was alright. I shall forgive myself for my mistakes in the past! Until this time, I have to distance myself from any kind of alcohol." He laughed hard and threw his head back.

Uncle Lee was her favorite uncle in the world. He always told her interesting stories and sometimes taught her—be it basic taijutsu or just moral lesson—but this time she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"What's bothering you, little firefly?"

Hotaru looked away. "I'm fine."

"You don't look so well," Uncle Lee said. "You weren't supposed to be training alone in such secluded place!"

"I will be a ninja someday," Hotaru snapped. And she wasn't a little kid anymore!

The bowl haired man laughed. "I know, I know. But what's wrong? School was over one hour ago, right?"

"Mom is on a mission," she reasoned, putting her chopsticks down and pushing her empty plate away. "I don't feel like coming home yet."

"Ah. I apologize for not visiting you and Tenten since two weeks ago."

"It's alright, Uncle."

"So," he leaned across the table, "what's wrong?"

Hotaru bit her lips.

She trusted Uncle Lee since he was her mother's—and had once been her father's—best friend. He was a little weird, maybe, but he was very kind and caring and gentle. He would always help whenever she and her mother needed something.

Somehow, Hotaru had a feeling that she could trust him with this problem.

"Uncle," she started, eyes downcast, "is it true that my father died to protect Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata in the war?"

She didn't see his reaction, but she knew he tensed. "Who told you that?"

"Bolt." Hotaru answered, hands gripping her teacup tightly. "He told me this afternoon. I'm just…" she looked up, meeting her uncle's serious face, "why's Mom hiding this from me? She's never said anything. Isn't it strange?"

Uncle Lee was silent.

"No. Not just Mom, but you and everyone else. Why do you all never mention it when talking about Father?" She shook her head. "You all said he died in the war, yet never telling me the details. But Bolt knew it first! Was there something wrong about it that I'm not allowed to know?"

The taijutsu master's hands clenched visibly. "No. There was _nothing_ wrong about it."

"Will you tell me, Uncle?"

He took a pause to sip his tea as if to clear his throat, closing his eyes. "Yes."

Hotaru prepared herself.

He inhaled deeply. "On the second night of the war, Hinata… she tried to protect Naruto from Ten Ta—a monster's attack by shielding his body with hers. And Neji," those eyes opened again and Hotaru could see he was trying to hold back tears. "Because there was no time to use any jutsu, Neji quickly put himself between them and the coming attack. Then it happened."

It turned out not Uncle Lee who was crying but her.

"Neji was badly impaled in his chest. His wounds were too severe that it would be pointless for the medic ninja to try to save him. He died in Naruto's arms."

Hotaru didn't care that they were in public; her tears running down her cheeks slowly.

She could picture it, even if she'd never seen her father.

"However, his last words burned Naruto's spirit. His death finally brought back everyone's will to continue fighting. The village owed him so much." Uncle Lee looked out of the window, staring absently outside. "Not only did he protect Naruto and Hinata, two of only few important people in his life, but also all people. Because in the end, it was Naruto who saved us." A pause. "He said that Naruto held more than one life in his hands. That's why. That's why he decided to sacrifice himself for him."

Hotaru asked with hoarse voice. "Why? Why were Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata very important for him?"

Uncle Lee turned his attention back to her, and Hotaru somehow had a feeling that he was trying to hide something. "You know Naruto, right? He would always gladly help everyone, and he has once helped Neji." She was just about to ask what kind of help it was, but he quickly added. "Don't ask me what. It's just that Naruto helped your father and that help was very important for him."

She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. "And Aunt Hinata… He protected her because it was his duty, right?"

This time Uncle Lee didn't say anything.

It was about a Branch member's duty. _World is full of injustices. All you have to do is become stronger._

Not wanting to cry anymore, Hotaru changed the topic. "If his death was very important for the village, then why does Mom never tell me about this?"

He didn't look at her. "How can she tell you," he said softly, "while she herself cannot forget that moment when he died in front of her eyes?"

* * *

Hotaru opened her eyes when she felt the mattress shift. That meant her mother had just come home from her mission. They always slept on the same bed since they only had one bedroom in Hyuuga compound.

Pretending to be asleep, she waited until her mother's breath became soft.

"_Tenten didn't cry when Neji died. She was shocked, but didn't shed any tear. She even consoled me when I was mourning over his dead body. I thought it was because she was strong. She knew she was in the middle of the war. I'm telling you, she really looked like a true kunoichi."_

Her mother was strong. Hotaru knew it. She could count in one hand how many times she'd seen her crying. At home, she was that cheerful mother who always made sure there were foods in the kitchen and always listened to her daughter's story everytime she came home from academy. But in the training ground, she looked so different.

Hotaru loved watching her mother practicing Soushouryuu, leaping to the sky as the scroll danced around her form, various weapons flying from it. She looked so beautiful, her brown eyes sharp and calculating, her graceful but firm arms moving to hit every target with perfect accuracy.

She wanted to be able to fly like her too.

_Uncle Lee took a deep breath. "What I remembered was that she'd still looked fine until the end of the war. However… when we took Neji to Konoha cemetery, she never made it to the grave. She stopped at the gate, trembling hard with wide eyes and pale face. I thought she was going to faint, but instead she was screaming hysterically. I…" the man closed his eyes as if the memory was too terrible for him to replay. "I was so sad that I didn't have a heart to leave her. Gai-sensei and I finally didn't attend Neji's funeral. It would be too painful to watch him buried anyway. We… we were trying to give each other's strength, although it was Tenten who was hurt the most."_

Hotaru opened her white eyes and saw her mother's face. Her brown hair splayed across the pillow and her eyebrows turned down, signing a peaceful state.

It was hard to imagine her mother going hysteric at her father's funeral.

"_It was the hardest time Team Gai had ever experienced. Gai-sensei and I visited Neji's grave the following day. Tenten, however, needed a month to finally have the strength to visit him for the first time. I accompanied her and she brought very shocking news to us, both me and Neji."_

Hotaru could only picture how hard that month had been for her mother. Even though Gai-sensei and Uncle Lee had been there for her, it must've been _very_ hard.

_Uncle Lee looked at her. "She'd just found out about her pregnancy."_

She actually didn't understand this part. Why had her mother gotten pregnant all of a sudden? Hadn't she been so sad within that month? She had been too curious that she'd finally asked Uncle Lee where babies came from, but he'd said that she would have to find out later, along with weird phrases like "springtime of youth" and "the joy of growing up". Not wanting to hear anything related to _youth_ again, Hotaru had decided to skip the question.

"_At first, she was scared. She was scared that she wasn't going to make it without Neji. She was terribly afraid, but you know what? She punched someone who suggested her to do abort__—__um, let me rephrase that, to kill you in her stomach. She wanted to keep you even if she knew her grief was almost unbearable. You want to know why?" Uncle Lee smiled at her._

"_What is it, Uncle?"_

"_You were the closest thing she would ever have to Neji. You were__—__no, you are the precious reminder of Hyuuga Neji, the genius of Hyuuga clan, the strong man who died as a honorable shinobi, and most important…" Lee grinned suddenly. "The one and only man Tenten had and would ever fall in love with."_

Now she understood why her mother had never married any man. Her mother only loved her father, and it made Hotaru felt relieved somehow. She didn't think she was going to accept another man in their life. It would be uncomfortable to see her mother being with someone.

Hotaru felt grateful for her own existence. Heaven had sent her here to replace the role her father had left; she was here now to be with her mother. To love her, and to protect her.

She might be a Branch member who was charged with the duty to protect her clan, but she knew her most important status in this world: she was her mother's guardian.

Not Hyuuga secrets' guardian, not even Himawari's guardian.

"_Now you understand why she's never said anything, do you, young flower?" He grabbed her hand on the table. "Your mother has gone through a lot of hard times in her life. There's no need to remind her about the fact that Neji died for Hinata and Naruto. One thing you shall remember; be proud of two of them. Of your mother, because she's being strong for your sake, and of your father…" Uncle Lee's fingers around hers tightened. "Because he did the right thing to do. Never blame him for his decision."_

She wrapped an arm around her mother's waist and shifted closer to her warmth. Yes, she was proud of both her mother and father.

They were her heroes.

"Hotaru," her mother mumbled in her sleep. "Have you had dinner?"

She smiled. "Yes. Have you, Mom?"

"Don't worry about me." Her mother shifted her pillow without opening her eyes. "Go back to sleep."

Before she got too sleepy, Hotaru leaned forward to kiss her mother's cheek. "I love you, Mommy."

She fell back to her side and closed her eyes, right before she felt her mother return the kiss. "I love you too, Honey."

"_Another thing, my little firefly… Never blame Naruto, Hinata and your cousins."_

Uncle Lee's last words echoed in her head as sleep started to claim her.

Would she be able to not blaming them? Even though it had been her father's decision, she had to lose her father because he had died _for them._ Even Uncle Lee had warned her not to talk to her mother about her father's sacrifice. Her mother wanted Hotaru to find it out by herself.

Which probably meant her mother didn't want to remember it. It was probably too painful for her.

* * *

"Hyuuga Hotaru."

Hotaru looked up and saw Shino-sensei, her teacher at academy. She quickly bowed. "Good morning, Shino-sensei."

She had been standing alone under a tree at the corner of the schoolyard, watching a bunch of happy children walking with their fathers. It was Father's Day and every student came with their father to celebrate. If they had no father or their father was on a mission, they could bring their brother, uncle, or even grandfather.

Hotaru had asked no one to come with her.

Shino-sensei stared at her hand. "What is it?"

"Father's Day card." She lifted the small colored paper in her hand so her sensei could see it more clearly. The teachers had told every student to make a special card for their father and write anything they want to say to their father. Hotaru had also made it last night, drawing a few pretty little birds on it with crayons her mom had bought for her. She didn't write much on her card. Only simple sentence: _Happy Father's Day. I love you, Father. From Hotaru. _Simply because she thought the words summed up everything she wanted to say.

She looked up at her teacher. "Even though my father is not here, I could make it too, right?"

Shino-sensei gave a little smile. "Of course you could." He patted the girl's head softly. "Do you want me to accompany you to give it to your father?"

As much as she hated her life for not having a father, she was actually grateful because her parents' friends had been such kind uncles for her—not only Uncle Lee, Uncle Naruto and Shino-sensei. Even though they had their own children and even though they didn't meet often—only once in a few weeks—those uncles always seemed happy to see her in a few occasion. _Your father and they were best comrades,_ her mother had said. _They have always admired your father._

Uncle Kiba sometimes invited her over to play with his dogs and his wife's cats. Uncle Chouji would share any food he had with her whenever they met, saying she needed to eat much if she wanted to be a great ninja. Uncle Shikamaru was a great listener because he was calm and smart. And so on.

Hotaru shook her head. "No, thanks Shino-sensei," she said. "I want to go alone. Am I allowed to not attending the festival?"

"Yes." Shino-sensei answered. "Send him my regards, please."

Hotaru nodded firmly. "I will."

* * *

Hotaru was walking with the greeting card in her hand when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Look! Mom, Dad cheated!"

Hotaru turned her head. She saw four people sitting in Ichiraku restaurant. She wanted to turn away and continue walking, but something made her stand still in the middle of the road.

"Bolt, don't you dare stealing my menma!" Uncle Naruto protested.

Aunt Hinata sighed and shook her head. "Bolt, you have your own menma in your bowl."

"But Daddy cheated! He asked Aunt Ayame to put extra menma in his ramen! It's unfair!"

"You can have mine, Onii-chan," Himawari offered cheerfully.

Uncle Naruto flashed the little girl a thumb up. "You heard it, Bolt? Your sister is such a sweet girl!"

"I don't want Himawari's," Bolt pouted. "I want yours, Daddy, because you cheated!"

"Bolt," Aunt Hinata scolded, "don't talk too much. Eat your food like a good boy."

Bolt sighed, finally deciding to be silent and slurp his noodles again.

"So, Naruto," the Ichiraku owner's daughter said, "have you been busy lately? You haven't come here in a week."

"Oh," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "Yeah, there's currently an issue at Sunagakure and they asked for a few of our Jounin to help. There's also… hey, Bolt! Don't think I didn't see what you were doing, dattebayo!"

"Um, I'm sorry, Ayame-san," Aunt Hinata said, blushing slightly. "We seem to always make a trouble whenever we come here."

The brown haired woman laughed and shook her head at the little family before returning to her work.

Uncle Naruto and Bolt argued about which ramen was the most delicious, pork or chicken. Himawari joined while Aunt Hinata giggled occasionally. Until suddenly, the Hyuuga woman stopped their argument.

"Bolt, Himawari, don't you remember what day it is?"

Bolt and his sister gasped. "Oh! We forgot about that!"

"Huh?" Uncle Naruto looked at them in confusion.

Suddenly the two children jumped out of their seats to launch themselves at their father. "Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"

"Daddy, you are the best father in the world!"

"I love you Daddy!"

"Here, have my menma! It's your special day!"

"Whoa, calm down kids," Uncle Naruto laughed as he almost couldn't breathe because of two small bodies enveloping him tightly. "I love you too, so much!" He chuckled and kissed Himawari's forehead, then pinched Bolt's cheek gently, making the little boy protest. Aunt Hinata laughed, patting her husband's arm.

Hotaru watched from behind.

They were so happy, so _complete_, unlike her mother and her. A burst of jealousy invaded her chest, reminding her of something: she'd had to lose her father for their sake.

She only had her mother while Bolt and Himawari had both parents. Her mother only had her while Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata had each other.

She stood frozen on her spot until Aunt Hinata suddenly turned her head to look at the street, her white eyes caught Hotaru's.

Hotaru didn't move.

"Oh, Hotaru," Aunt Hinata smiled warmly. "What are you doing there? Come in and join us!"

Uncle Naruto, Bolt and Himawari looked at her too, and Hotaru felt something she couldn't describe under their gazes.

She felt so small. And different. Out of place.

"Hotaru," the Hokage waved and smiled cheekily. "Come here, little girl! Do you want some ramen?"

"Onee-chan," Himawari, seeming to forget their last encounter in Hyuuga compound, also waved cheerfully.

"Hotaru nee-chan!" Bolt called. "Why did you walk away earlier? I wasn't done talking!"

Hotaru unconsciously clenched her fists. "Sorry."

"Where are you going?" Aunt Hinata asked. "It's almost raining. You could wait here and eat until it stops."

"Right," Uncle Naruto agreed. "Jeez, Hotaru, don't stand there like a monument. Come on, sit here!" He gestured to the empty seat right beside him.

"I have to go." Hotaru answered, struggling to avoid their gazes. She bowed slightly. "See you."

She didn't bother to look at them again, running away as fast as she could. Her heart raced and her breath came out as short gasps as she gritted her teeth, only realizing it was starting to rain when cold droplets of water hit her head.

She had never thought that one day she would have to hate her own family; her aunt, her uncle and her cousins. And it was because this reason: her father had died for them to live and to be together.

It was unfair. She and her mother also had the right to live happily with her father, hadn't they? She also had the right to celebrate Father's Day with her father, attending the festival in academy together, right?

If at first, she'd only felt confused why her mother had never told her about that, this time she had another feeling: anger. Regardless of the injustice, Hotaru felt angry because Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata had never said anything about that to her. It was as if they forgot what her father had done.

She kept running, ignoring her wet clothes and shivering slightly when a thunder hit the horizon. She hoped the rain could wash away her anger.

But it didn't. Instead, the greeting card in her hand was soaked.

She cancelled her plan to visit her father's grave.

* * *

**(A/N):** It's no longer 2014 and I'm still a sucker for angst.

Note: Hm, anyone knows what's likely the age of a Hyuuga to learn Byakugan?


End file.
